Cabbage salad with sauteed artichokes and chickpeas

I get some crazy cravings. It’s not so much the foods themselves are crazy, just the combinations that I want.

Today I wanted an Israeli salad with falafal. That was the easy part. I could have easily found that at one of a few restaurants near my house. But, the challeng was, I was also totally jonesing for artichokes and I have no idea why! Add to that, after my less than stellar diet the past few days, I figured fried food was not the best idea.

So, what’s a girl to do? What I normally do… create my own concoction!

First up, the artichokes. Open the can, slice ’em in half. Place them in a pan with a little EVOO that had been heating up. Let them cook until they browned a little. Flip them over and let the other side brown slightly too.

Next, the chickpeas. A little more hot EVOO and toss in the garbanzo beans. I added a bit of salt and garlic powder. Stir them around a little and when they start to brown, they’re done too.

Meantime, shave some slices of cabbage, halve the grape tomatoes and chop up some herbs. I used basil and parsley.

Into the bowl went the cold ingredients along with a drizzle of EVOO, the juice of a lemon and some salt and pepper.

Top the salad off with the artichokes and chickpeas and dinner is served!

Quick, easy, tasty and healthy! not to mention, lots of leftovers, less money than a restaurant and exactly what I was craving without driving the people at the restaurant crazy.